Judge gives Ian Poulter and others a green flag to play in the Genesis Scottish Open.
Judge gives Ian Poulter and others a green flag to play in the Genesis Scottish Open. Ian Poulter and two other DP World Tour players who were not allowed to play in the Scottish Open this week will still be able to compete at The Renaissance Club. A judge picked by Sport Resolutions, a global non-profit arbitrator based in the U.K., gave Poulter, Adrian Otaegui, and Justin Harding stays that will let them play in the Scottish Open. A news release from the European tour says that the stays are in place “pending determination of their substantive appeals by an appeal panel in due course.”
Poulter and 15 other players were fined about $105,000 and banned from the Scottish Open and two other events co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour (Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship) for violating the rules of the tournament and playing the first LIV Golf event last month without the mandated liberations. In addition, at least one other player, Patrick Reed, “withdrew” from the event after playing in the LIV event last week.
In a statement, DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley said, “We are disappointed by the outcome of today’s hearing, but we will abide by the decision. It is important to remember, however, this is only a stay of the sanctions imposed, pending the hearing of the players’ appeal as to whether those sanctions were appropriate.”
More on the Scottish Open
To make room for the late entrants, the Scottish Open will have more than 156 players. In a report from the Telegraph that came out on Sunday, Poulter talked about the situation. Even though he was one of 16 players who sent a letter to the DP World Tour last week demanding that their suspensions are lifted, or they would take legal action, he insisted that he was acting on his own when he asked for this injunction.
What Poulter has to say
Poulter told The Telegraph, “I feel disappointed, I feel offended, that I’m suspended from playing on a tour I’ve been a member of for nearly a quarter of a century. My commitment to my European Tour card was always to continue and play more events. But I’ve been told I can’t so I’m waiting to hear a panel’s review to see if I can go and play [in Scotland]. Hopefully, we can get it lifted.”
Poulter also said that he wasn’t sure what the full effects of playing in the LIV events would be. But, he said, “We knew there would be some form of action, but it was never spelled out to us, and I feel the action they have taken is too severe.”
Judge gives Ian Poulter and others a green flag to play in the Genesis Scottish Open